Classic chocolate cookies made with cocoa and filled with chocolate chips. Fudgy on the inside, slightly crunchy on the outside, chewy, dense and very chocolaty.

I am in fudge world.
And you should join me. Because it’s fun.

The month before my wedding felt like a series of non-stop events.
Events equal baking and fudged themed dessert tables. I made a fudge cake, fudgy chocolate cookies, chocolate snickers cookies, banana bread with chocolate fudge topping and 4 batches of brownies (which I attached to my wedding invitations – or at least to those who were hand delivered).

My belly is starting look fudgy, too.

I think my blog deserves to appear first on google searches for the word fudgy. That’s just how many times I mention this word in my blog. So if you are a fudgy kind of person (whatever that means) you’ve come to the right place.

These cookies are made using the creaming method. Start by creaming butter and sugar in your mixer for 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Next, add dry ingredients (mix them all in a bowl first) and mix by hand with a wooden spoon or with the mixer on low speed just until combined. Do not overmix. If the batter is very thick and sticky, that means you are doing something right.

At this point you must CHILL THE DOUGH. Sometimes I tell you to skip it, because I know some of you are busy or lazy like me, so I let you off easy. But not for this dough. Chilling this dough is important. After just 1 hour in the fridge, the dough will be much less sticky and manageable, and the cookies won’t spread too much while baking.
So remember – at least 1 hour of chilling for the busy-lazy ones and at least 2 hours for all the rest.

If the dough is too hard to handle when you take it out of the fridge, let it sit on the counter for a few minutes. Be patient

Bake the cookies just to the point when the edges start to set. I admit it’s not always easy to see this, especially since the cookies are dark in color. Tricky cookies. Just trust your instincts.
Baking time is 8-10 minutes. Remember that baking time is different if you bake bigger or smaller cookies than what the instructions suggest. I like to slightly underbake my cookies for extra fudginess and softness. Overbaking might make them dry.

Classic chocolate cookies made with cocoa and filled with chocolate chips. Fudgy on the inside, slightly crunchy on the outside, chewy, dense and very chocolaty.

Ingredients

1 cup (130 grams or 4.5 ounces) all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (50 grams or 1.7 ounces) unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick or 113 grams) butter, softened

1/2 cup (100 grams or 3.5 ounces) brown sugar

1/2 cup (100 grams or 3.5 ounces) granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup (130 grams or 4.5 ounces) chocolate chips

coarse sea salt, to sprinkle (optional)

Instructions

In a large bowl sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars for 3 minutes until fluffy. Next, beat in the egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat on medium-low speed just until combined, or mix by hand with a wooden spoon. Don’t overmix – mix just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. The batter will be thick and sticky.

Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight. This will help your cookies stay thick and spread less while baking.

Preheat oven to 350F/180C degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

Take cookies out of the fridge and if they’re too cold/hard to handle, leave them for a few minutes on the counter.

Drop rounded balls of dough (the size of 2 tablespoons) onto prepared baking sheet, leaving about 3 inches (8 cm) between each cookie. Sprinkle cookies with coarse sea salt if you like. Bake for about 8-10 minutes, just until the edges start to set. Leave to cool on the pan for 10 minutes and then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

-Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
-Cookies can be frozen for up to a month.